


Fall

by hereforfood



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Jinsoul is a hot mechanic lol, Jungeun gay panics a lot, Jungeun is big sad, This is cute, but also slightly angsty, choerry is adorable, everything is gay, just a bit, kind of a character study too, kind of funny too, oh Jungeun is a cheerleader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26726104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforfood/pseuds/hereforfood
Summary: She wasn’t quite expecting a woman to pop up from under the car.A beautiful woman.
Relationships: Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Comments: 10
Kudos: 247





	Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I come bearing LipSoul. This is kind of a… love story. But not really. It’s more about Jungeun, you’ll see what I mean. I’ll stop talking now, lol.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

The new auto repair shop boasted a large sign atop the moderately sized building— _Jung Mechanics._

_How straightforward_ , Jungeun noted. She approached the open garage, which revealed two cars sitting in the space that was almost unnervingly clean. Only the sounds of a radio humming low in the background and the clicking of a wrench working against metal alerted her to another presence.

She shuffled further inside and cleared her throat, a small, “Hello?” leaving her. A few moments passed before Jungeun’s attention was captured.

She wasn’t quite expecting a woman to pop up from under the car.

A beautiful woman.

Her inky black hair was tied up, leaving her sharp jawline at the forefront. The white shirt she wore was stained with greasy fingerprints across the front (Jungeun definitely raised a brow at the choice of color) — her blue jeans well fitted, a pair of Chucks beneath the cuffs. Jungeun would be lying if she wasn’t a bit starstruck.

“Did you need help?” Oh, and her voice was beautiful too, low and lazy with the way she stretched those syllables out. Jungeun cleared her throat.

“Uh, yeah, I’m looking for Choerry…?” Jungeun stumbled to a stop, already feeling the way her ears were warming. The woman tilted her head.

“Choerry?” The woman’s eyes flickered up and down her figure— Jungeun figured it was quick enough to take in the cheerleading uniform she didn’t bother to change out of. She hoped that the large BH emblazoned across her chest was enough to render her harmless.

Though, the woman’s gaze didn’t soften. Jungeun cleared her throat.

“She said to come here...we’re studying?” Jungeun pulled on the strap of her backpack.

“Oh,” The woman stood from where she was sitting on her creeper. Jungeun almost took a step back despite the distance that already sat between them, surprised by how tall the woman was (not that it was hard to find people taller than Jungeun). Jungeun watched her wipe her hands on a rag pulled from her side.

“I can go get her—” The woman began, only to be interrupted by the sound of a door slamming, a small figure barreling through the garage and straight into Jungeun.

Jungeun caught herself with a quick step back, her arms going up to catch the younger girl.

“Lip!” Choerry popped up from where her face was momentarily tucked into the older girl’s shoulder, a smile brighter than the sun accompanying her greeting.

“Lip?” The mystery woman questioned. Jungeun’s cheeks burned.

“It’s _Jungeun_ ,” She emphasized, pulling away from the younger girl, “Hi Choerry.” The girl turned away from her, a dramatic pout marring her features as she addressed the other woman in the garage.

“‘Sol! Why didn’t you tell me my friend was here!?” _Jinsol,_ Jungeun’s brain helpfully supplied. She’d remembered Choerry mentioning a Jinsol before.

“I didn’t know you had any friends,” Jinsol shrugged, pulling a whine from the younger girl.

Now that Jungeun thinks about it, yeah, she remembers Choerry talking about her. Particularly how annoying her sister, _Jinsol_ , could be.

The taller woman chuckled, moving forward to ruffle Choerry’s hair, the vibrant purple sticking up in various places. Jungeun remembered questioning _“Why purple?”_ when red would probably better represent her namesake (her preferred namesake, anyway. Jungeun tried to call her Yerim once, only to be met with a pout, similar to the one she was wearing now).

Choerry had enthusiastically explained, _“Purple is pretty!”_ and that was the end of that conversation. Jungeun did agree though, purple is pretty. At least, on Choerry.

“Go do your homework, and _be good_ ,” Her tone was playful as she wiggled a finger in front of Choerry, who smacked it away.

The younger girl grabbed a hold of Jungeun’s hand and pulled her further into the garage to a backdoor, whilst waving goodbye to her sister.

“Bye Lip,” Jungeun was barely able to catch the sentence, and Jinsol’s small smile before the door closed behind her.

  
  


Choerry’s room was a lot more organized than Jungeun had assumed it would be. Her bed sat against the wall, stuffed animals littering the entirety of it, much like Jungeun’s own. A desk sat just to the side of it, their shared math textbook already open to their newest chapter.

“Ready?” How Choerry could be so enthusiastic about math was beyond Jungeun (though, maybe it was that same enthusiasm that landed her in the advanced class with her seniors, like Jungeun). But Jungeun only gave a reluctant nod.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Jungeun sighed, closing the textbook and laying back on the bed. She cringed at the feeling of paper crumbling beneath her body— Choerry had thrown a large stack of math notes onto the bed, notes about lessons that they hadn’t even gone over in the class. Choerry answered her silent question with a grin.

_“My sister graduated last year, and she’s really good at math, so she gave me all her notes!”_ Jungeun was just glad that the explanation was as mundane as that.

“Bored?” Choerry laid beside her on her stomach, her feet swinging in the air.

“Just need a break,” The older girl sighed.

Choerry was a good tutor, patient, and speaking in clear terms, though it helped that Jungeun was already pretty proficient in the subject— in most subjects really. It was more so the fact that she was a little far behind on the curriculum.

(Far enough behind that she was inclined to hide her grades from her parents nowadays).

So, she didn’t usually spend her Fridays studying. No, her Fridays and weekends were usually spent cuddling into warm arms, too-loud laughter tickling at her eardrums, soft lips pressed against her own—

Jungeun sat up again.

“I need a drink,” She spoke suddenly.

“Oh, I can get you—”

“It’s fine, just in the fridge right?” Choerry raised a brow, only nodding silently.

It didn’t feel any less stuffy outside of the room.

But at least she was alone.

Well. She thought she was.

Jungeun almost sighed at the sight of Jinsol at the fridge, her head poking into it.

“Uh—” The older woman jerked back, her head slamming on the roof of the compartment. “Oh god, are you alright?!” Junguen moved forward, seeing Jinsol pull away, her hand clutching at her head and a grimace on her face. Jungeun couldn’t stifle the laugh that fell from her lips. Jinsol’s own stretched into a small smile.

“Something funny, Lip?” Jungeun rolled her eyes.

“ _Jungeun_. I, uh, just needed a drink,” Jinsol stepped away, hands gesturing to the icebox.

“Go ahead.”

Junguen eyed Jinsol for a moment. She turned away grabbing the first thing that reached her sight— a can of soda. Grape. Not Jungeun’s favorite, but alright.

“How’s it going?” Jungeun stared at her blankly. “The studying. Is Yerim being annoying?” The shorter girl shook her head.

“Ah, it’s been… alright.”

“Hm,” Jinsol hummed, those curious eyes watching her again. Jungeun felt like squirming. Jinsol went back to the fridge digging for whatever she was looking for previously. Jungeun almost high-tailed it out of there but stopped at the sound of Jinsol’s voice.

“Is she doing alright? In class? Or I mean, y’know… ” The woman trailed off.

With her head buried in the fridge like that, no one would’ve guessed that she spoke in the first place.

“She’s doing great. I’m the one who needed help actually.” Jinsol popped out suddenly, a jar of mayonnaise in her hand, which she haphazardly threw onto the counter beside the bread, cheese, and meat that already sat in place.

Jungeun’s thumb traced the tab of the soda can. “And she’s got a lot of friends. More than I’ve had in my years here,” She chuckled, the sound coming out a bit sardonic.

“Yeah, she likes talking to people. She’s always been like that.”

Jinsol’s back was facing her now. She followed the movement of her hands as she sloppily threw the contents of her sandwich together.

“I’m glad you’re hanging out with her.”

Junguen cleared her throat. It was kind of the other way around. “It’s… not a problem at all.” Silence. Jungeun bit her lip. “I’m gonna…”

She saw the older woman nod. Jungeun nearly stumbled over her feet to get out of there.

  
  
  
  


Jungeun hated wearing her uniform.

She remembered staying up to iron out the sweater, making sure her collar was laying just right and her skirt didn’t lose its pleats. She remembered the excitement buzzing through her veins because she’d not only made the team, but she’d done it with Jiwoo by her side.

Now, that same sweater felt stuffy on her, the school’s logo a target on her chest.

One thing was for sure, she was glad that lunch seemed to come faster than normal today.

Jungeun had only just set out the components of her lunch when a figure, too familiar to her senses, caught her eyesight. It was almost muscle memory, the way their eyes locked. You’d think that the fact that she was surrounded by uniforms identical to Jungeun’s own, it’d be a bit harder for Jungeun’s brain to identify her. To pinpoint her facial expressions; the way her smile dimmed just a bit when they met gazes.

She supposed it was never that way with Jiwoo.

Jungeun wished she’d just kept her eyes on her lunch. Especially now that Jiwoo was starting to stand from her seat.

Jungeun should really stop looking right now.

Her savior came in the form of purple sunshine, throwing her lunch tray atop the table. Jungeun winced at the contents nearly slopping over the sides of the dish.

“Hey!” Jungeun glanced back at the figure whose gaze once held her captive, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw her settled back in her seat.

Thank god for Choerry.

“You alright?” Choerry spoke through a mouthful of meatloaf. Jungeun wasn’t quite sure how she stomached the lunch food.

“Yeah, just, thinking,” Jungeun waved her off.

“Anything important?” The older girl snorted.

“No, nothing like that,” Choerry’s gaze was almost as penetrative as her sister’s. Now that she met her, she could see the resemblance. “It’s… just, old stuff coming up.”

“Hm,” Choerry’s gaze didn’t let up for, what felt like _too long_ , for Jungeun. “Alright,” The purple-haired girl shrugged.

Their meal was silent for a good chunk of time before Choerry spoke.

“So, wanna come over again?” Choerry was nearly vibrating in her seat, waiting for Jungeun’s response.

“Uh,” She paused, chewing her food slowly.

She didn’t necessarily have a social life to attend to. And she supposed that hanging out with Choerry the other day wasn’t too bad (she’d stayed a little longer than she’d intended. Talking to Choerry gave her a comfort she hadn’t felt in some while). Plus, it wasn’t like Jungeun’s grades were getting any better.

“Sure. I mean, I have cheer practice, but—”

“Ooh! Can I watch?” Jungeun raised a brow.

Maybe it was Choerry’s hopeful gaze that broke her down because Jungeun responded with a shrug.

“If you want to—” Jungeun had to cover her ears at the sound of Choerry’s unabashed cheer.

  
  


Jungeun doesn’t know how she got into cheer. Well, actually, yes, she does know. She knows the exact person that convinced her to audition with her, and Jungeun just stuck with it, because she’s _good_ at it. Because it looked good, to be on the varsity team, to have immaculate grades. Because once upon a time, _that_ made her feel good above everything else— 

Well, nearly above everything else.

She sees flashes of familiar auburn hair in her peripheral. If she turned just a bit, she’d see disheveled bangs that she’d grown accustomed to fixing during practice.

She still won’t look at Jiwoo.

It helps that she has a distraction in the form of purple, jumping around on the bleachers.

“Woo! Kim Lip!” Choerry waves at the older girl, like Jungeun wouldn’t have been able to see her otherwise. She _was_ the only other person here.

Jungeun had asked their co-captain, Kahei, if Choerry could watch (because approaching their captain would mean seeing those disheveled bangs up close, and Jungeun’s not entirely sure she wants that). Kahei, being one of the nicest people Jungeun’s had the pleasure of meeting (reminding her of one of the reasons why Jungeun chose her as her replacement in the first place), obviously agreed, enthused by Choerry’s energy and giving the younger girl a wide grin back.

Practice went by quicker than Jungeun ever remembered it being. In the back of her mind, she wondered when it wouldn’t feel like her limbs were moving through water, carrying her pom-poms like they weighed fifty pounds, pulling at her joints. In the back of her mind, she made a note to consider those thoughts carefully.

(Not that she ever would. She’s been pushing them down for a while now anyway. She mentally counts down the months until she doesn’t have to smile like a maniac and chant inane phrases at a crowd of sweaty teenagers).

“You were amazing,” Jungeun grunted in response, haphazardly shoving her pom-poms into her duffle bag. The field cleared quickly, leaving Jungeun in the purple-haired girl’s company.

“I was a little tired today,” The older girl shrugged.

“Well, you were great anyway!” Choerry’s grin was unwavering. Jungeun let out a breathy chuckle, shaking her head as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

“So, do you want a ride?” Jungeun quirked a brow at Choerry’s offer. The girl was the closest Jungeun’s seen to being nervous, fiddling with her fingers.

“You can drive?” Not even Jungeun could drive. Not that it really mattered when she had Jiwoo around— and there she goes again.

“My sister’s teaching me!” Jungeun chuckles at this; the idea of her sister, tall (to Jungeun at least), menacing _Jinsol_ teaching Choerry to drive?

“Uh, I guess. I’m going over yours anyway,” Jungeun shrugged. Choerry let out a victorious yell, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the parking lot.

  
  


Jinsol sat in a dark blue, old school looking (Jungeun was just guessing it was old— her knowledge of cars left much to be desired) open-top muscle car, idling near the curb, her hand slung lazily over the wheel.

Choerry let go of her hand to bound to the driver’s side, impatiently pulling her sister out and into a tight hug.

“Lip,” Jinsol nodded at her from over Choerry’s shoulder. Jungeun didn’t even have it in her to scoff at the use of her nickname. “I didn’t know we were gonna have company.”

“I offered her a ride! Can I drive?”

“Knock yourself out, kiddo,” After closing the driver’s side door for her sister, Jinsol ambled to the opposite side of the car, jumping over into the passenger seat without bothering to even touch the door. She gave Jungeun a look. “Jump in,” She nodded to the back of the car.

Jungeun sighed. She threw her bag in first before following after. There must’ve been some sort of miscalculation on her part, because her foot caught on the outside of the car, making her fumble and nearly trip, face-first into the leather of the bench.

Nice. She was an _athlete_ , god damn it.

Her cheeks were red as Jinsol twisted her body to look back at her, a smirk on her face.

“You alright?”

“Shut up,” Jungeun rolled her eyes.

  
  


Choerry’s driving was… was it even considered _driving_? Jungeun was practically puncturing holes into the seat below her with her nails, her body rigid like a board as she, wide-eyed, watched Choerry maneuver the giant metal death trap.

The purple-haired girl seemed to perpetually be over the speed limit, without a trace of understanding what _lanes_ were, seeing as she was constantly going over the line—

Jungeun’s arms shot up to catch her body, nearly tossed through the air, by holding onto the passenger seat. Choerry’s braking also left a lot to be desired. She'd be surprised if the pads weren’t completely worn down by the time they reached her house, which, she didn’t live _that_ far away right? Then why did it feel like Jungeun’s been in this car for over an hour now?

Jungeun settled back in her seat, her hands glued to the seat belt, hoping that the little strip of fabric would be enough to keep her alive.

“You’re doing great!” Jinsol yelled over the wind that whipped past the car, a large grin on her face.

Jungeun’s come to learn that Jinsol’s “teaching” was mostly the taller girl giggling to herself and giving Choerry encouraging remarks, and less about correct driving etiquette.

Choerry zoomed past a yellow light, just barely missing the red, receiving a loud laugh and high five from her sister, which made Jungeun’s whole body fall into a cringe because she _really_ didn’t want to know what Choerry’s driving was like when she _didn’t_ have both hands on the steering wheel.

  
  


When they finally arrived at the auto shop, Jungeun stumbled out like a sailor getting their land legs back. She ran a hand down her face, heaving out a sigh.

“You good?” Jinsol was stood in front of her, and Jungeun probably would’ve taken a step back if the car wasn’t directly behind her.

“Uh, t-that was…”

“Yeah, she can be a bit… eager,” Jinsol chuckled.

“That’s a… way to put it.”

“I like to encourage her,” Jinsol smiled wide, her eyes almost squinting. Jungeun’s head went into a tilt, her gaze flickering over the gesture. She wasn’t sure if she’d seen Jinsol so… soft.

“Lippie!” Choerry bounded in front of her, practically pushing the two older women apart. “If we finish studying early, we can make Jinsol drive us to the arcade!”

Before Jungeun could quite question her outburst, her hand was taken and she was pulled along.

“I didn’t agree to that!” Jinsol shouted from behind them, her voice nearly fading in the distance.

  
  


Jinsol _did_ end up driving them to the arcade. And Choerry beat them at most of the games. She got a stuffed bat with her tickets.

She also discovered something. Jinsol’s soft smile looked even softer under the flashing lights that lined the arcade game cabinets.

  
  
  
  


There was an imperceptible shift.

Choerry tutoring Jungeun turned into Jungeun hanging out with Choerry, which turned into Jungeun hanging out with Choerry and _Jinsol_. Jungeun’s still not quite sure how she feels about that development. All she knew was that Jinsol was interesting. How her presence seemed to just command Jungeun’s attention. How she wasn’t nearly as scary as Jungeun had previously assumed, in fact, she was a bit endearing, with her lame jokes and the way that she would cling to Choerry just to annoy her with a barrage of kisses. Or how her eyes— wide, curious, almost innocent— could convey more than her lips ever could.

It was Friday night and they were watching a movie.

Jungeun wasn’t a big movie watcher.

Jiwoo _loved_ movies, but mostly romantic flicks. She’d drag Jungeun to the theatres, sitting them in the back row, where she could hear the whirring of the projector behind them. The only thing that kept her awake was the feeling of her girlfriend’s hand in her own, the other girl leaning close to whisper in her ear because she liked the way the main actress’s hair was done.

So, Jungeun didn’t know much about sci-fi, Choerry’s favorite movie genre. Or about how it could be so _scary_.

She jolted in her seat, her hands covering her face, shielding herself away from the image of a giant alien, drool falling from its mouth.

“Oh my god,” Jungeun gasped, peeking through a small slit in her fingers only to jerk away again when she saw said monster _eating_ someone. Choerry’s giggles from where she’s seated on the floor beside the couch. She was given the duty of holding the popcorn since Jungeun was too jumpy to keep it all in the bowl.

“How can you watch this stuff!?” Jungeun groaned.

“It’s cool!” What a Choerry thing to say.

The sound of the heavy garage door swinging shut draws her attention for a second, and then she’s jumping at the sound of violins shrieking on the score.

“What’re we watching?” A weight settles beside her on the couch, and Jungeun decides to pull her hands down. Jinsol’s in a black t-shirt today, just as well fitted as the white one she’d met her in, but distinctly less dirty. She watched her shuffle her hands through her hair, pulling it out of that ponytail and— oh. Right. This was the first time Jungeun had seen her with her hair down, cascading past her shoulder in loose waves.

Jinsol let out a groan, “Sci-fi?” Choerry whined.

“Lip doesn’t like it either! What’s wrong with you guys!?” Jinsol stuck her tongue out at her sister, gesturing for the popcorn bowl with grabby hands.

The room grew quiet again as Choerry is sucked into the movie and Jinsol seemed preoccupied with shoveling the salty snack into her mouth. Jungeun doesn’t even look her way again until a piece of popcorn sails her way, hitting her on the side of her head. She shoots her gaze in Jinsol’s direction, a scowl already on her face when another kernel hit her square on the forehead.

Jungeun’s learned that Choerry was right about how _annoying_ Jinsol could be. She tended to do things like this— blowing in her ear to get her attention, endlessly calling her _Lip_ no matter how many times she’d correct her. One of the worst things was when Jinsol would test the limits of the invisible boundaries set between them, shuffling closer and closer until their bodies were nearly touching, Jinsol towering over her, that stupid smirk on her face, waiting for Jungeun to chicken out— she always did.

And apparently, she could add “throwing popcorn kernels at her head” to the list.

“What?” She hissed, grabbing one of the pieces and tossing it back to Jinsol, who continued, unfazed.

“You scared?” Jungeun raised a brow. “When Yerim used to get scared, I’d hold her hand.”

Jungeun’s gaze fell to Jinsol’s hand, placed right between them on the couch.

“Are you asking me to _hold_ your hand?”

“I’m offering it,” Her hand flipped, the palm upwards. Jungeun furrowed her brows. It was said so nonchalantly, her brain stumbles to catch up to the fact that she could… hold Jinsol’s hand. Did she even _want_ to hold her hand? “I washed them.”

“What?”

“My hands, I already washed them. They get all dirty when I work out in the garage. So if you’re worried about that, I’m all clean.”

Jungeun wasn’t sure if _that_ was what she was worried about (if she was worried about anything in the first place, that was. _Is there anything to be worried about_? She questioned).

Wordlessly, she laid her hand atop the older girl’s, soft skin settled atop each other. Jinsol moved and slotted their fingers together.

It did help. The handholding.

(Mostly because now her mind was on said handholding, rather than the movie, though, she supposes that the thought counts).

  
  
  
  


Jungeun’s starting to fall into a new routine.

Being Choerry’s friend came with an unlimited series of… interesting events (she preferred interesting events over whatever her life was before). Now, Jungeun was pulled along by Choerry to her favorite arcade, or to marathon movies with her (Choerry was quite disappointed with the lack of _“taste”_ that Jungeun had in movies. That being, none), or, unfortunately, subjected to more “driving lessons” courtesy of Jinsol.

She’d even been introduced to Choerry’s plethora of friends— the ones that she was the closest to (because Choerry was kind of friends with _everyone_ ). Jungeun could tell, based on the way they’d gaze at her, like Choerry’s sister would; that same fondness coming through.

Hyejoo, Chaewon, and Yeojin were quite rambunctious— Choerry was too, but it was a different brand, hers being bred from naivety and enthusiasm and theirs from _pure evil_ , or so Jungeun was convinced. Like the time they’d flooded the bathroom with soap and water; three feet of bubbles that had nearly swallowed Yeojin up. Why? Because they could. But mostly, because Yeojin broke the soap dispenser and they collectively (they, _not_ including Jungeun, who was having class at the time) thought it was a good idea to have a bubble party to “cover it up”.

Jungeun was so used to the company, she’d almost forgotten what it was like when she was alone. It struck her Friday afternoon, just before she’d have to attend cheer practice.

“What’s the plan today?” Jungeun asked, walking alongside Choerry. This was commonplace now, Choerry tagging along to her practices, doing homework on the bleachers.

“I have to do a project with Yeojin,” Choerry frowned.

“With _Yeojin_?”

“She's a surprisingly hard worker, you just have to know what to bribe her with!” Choerry grinned. Jungeun somehow didn’t doubt that. She was once witness to the time that Yeojin drank a whole carton of milk through her nose _just_ for a bag of chocolate pretzels. It was Hyejoo’s idea. (Admittedly, they were good chocolate pretzels).

“Well, that’s fine,” Jungeun shrugged.

And it _was_ fine. She was fine with being alone, really. So, she wasn’t sure why she was standing outside of Jung Mechanics, fiddling with the strap of her backpack.

Jinsol was huddled under the hood of a truck, just her body visible. Black t-shirt again, Jungeun noted.

“Hey,” She spoke up. Jinsol popped her head out, the grease stain on her cheek tugging uncomfortably at something in Jungeun’s chest (or was it comfortable?).

“Yerim’s not—”

“I know, I wasn’t— I’m— she told me about the project,” Jinsol’s confused frown was cute.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Jungeun nodded. “Did you want to go somewhere?” She managed to blurt. There were only a couple seconds of silence that followed, but Jungeun was about ready to take it all back and head home right now. Instead, Jinsol nodded.

“Let me get cleaned up real quick.”

  
  


It never occurred to Junguen that she’s never seen Jinsol “cleaned up” before. When she picked Jungeun and Choerry up from school, it was always in her work clothes, grease-stained somewhere on her body. Or when she’d join them in the living room, or to eat lunch— it was always straight after work. Sometimes she’d change into pajamas (Jungeun nearly had a stroke seeing her in very, _very short_ cotton shorts the other day).

It was no wonder why Jungeun felt her breath catch, seeing Jinsol stride into the living room with a khaki button up on lazily tucked into blue jeans, paisley patterned tie around her neck (which Jungeun nearly choked on her own spit at the sight of it— who would’ve thought? Jinsol with a tie on? Her cheeks burned hot) and her Chucks to round it all out.

“Ready?” Jinsol’s grin was lighter nowadays, now that Jungeun’s been around so often. She wore a toothy grin, one that Jungeun wouldn’t hesitate to call goofy, and it made her insides knot.

No. Jungeun wasn’t sure if she _was_ ready.

  
  


Jungeun didn’t necessarily come with a plan in mind. She wasn’t planning on asking Jinsol to hang out in the first place. But her mind supplied her with one of her favorite places of all time— a little ice cream shop that served the best shake Jungeun’s taste buds ever had the pleasure of encountering (and she’s had _a lot_ of shakes over the years, with a sweet tooth like hers).

Jinsol held the door open for her, letting her walk in first. Jungeun ducked her head, silently thanking her, and simultaneously trying to hide the way her ears were burning— why did she have to wear her hair up today?

After ordering, they sat by the counter, waiting for their number to be called. Jungeun held Jinsol’s hand in her own (another new development, apparently, they were both touchy people, something that they leaned into without quite talking about it) and played with her fingers. When she glanced up, a familiar face nearly made her jump in her seat.

“Hey Lippie,” Hasuel nodded at her. She held a cup of ice cream in her hands, two spoons. Jungeun wondered if Kahei was waiting in the car for her.

“Hey,” Jungeun saw Haseul’s eyes go to Jinsol. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the older woman’s hand.

“Are you coming to the party after the game on Friday?” No matter how soothing Haseul’s voice was, it still had Jungeun on edge. “I think it’d be cool if you came, everyone misses you, you know?”

“Uh, I can’t, already got plans,” She shrugged in a hopefully apologetic manner. There was no way anyone could drag her to one of those parties. Only one person could do that before, and even then at least she had a hand to hold and someone to talk to throughout.

Plus, she wasn’t lying. She’d promised to hang out with Choerry.

“Ah,” Haseul bit her lip. Junguen held her breath, watching Hasuel’s eyes flicker between her own. “Okay,” Her smile was stretched thin. Jungeun felt her stomach drop a bit. “I’ll see you around then,” Jungeun returned the wave that Haseul offered, the tinkling of the bell over the door indicating her departure.

Jungeun sighed.

“Jungeun,” Jungeun nearly jumped, despite Jinsol’s low voice. Maybe it was the unfamiliar syllables that left her mouth, a small frown on her face that had Jungeun wondering what had caused it.

“Jungeun?” The older woman rolled her eyes.

“That’s you,” She poked the younger girl’s cheek. Jungeun edged away from the touch, a small smile making its way to her lips. “Alright?” Jinsol’s eyes were warm. Jungeun nodded, her attention taken away by the worker behind the counter, calling their order.

Jungeun was never more grateful for the presence of ice cream.

  
  


They’d been walking side by side through the park, their steps leisurely. Jungeun was more focused on the shake between her hands, cooling her skin. It was starting to get chillier out, the leaves turning that warm orange color that Jungeun loved to look at so much.

Jinsol opted for ice cream, despite Jungeun’s protests— _“I took you here so you could try the shake!” “It’s the same thing!”_ Jungeun wouldn’t forgive her for that. (She’d contemplated letting Jinsol have some of her own, but the thought made her burn up from the inside, so, maybe not).

“So, are you ever gonna tell me why everyone calls you Lip?” Jinsol’s smile was smug, closed around her spoon as she regarded the shorter girl. Jungeun felt her ears burn.

“It’s just a stupid nickname,” She scoffed. Jinsol poked her arm, a chuckle falling from her lips.

“How’d that happen?” Jungeun rolled her eyes at the smirk that Jinsol was harboring.

“I… talk a lot—”

“Didn’t notice,” Jinsol cut in, a stupid smile on her face. Jungeun slapped her arm.

“Do you want to know or not?”

“Sorry,” Jinsol grinned, looking quite the opposite.

“I used to get yelled at a lot in class because I wouldn’t shut up. So, this one teacher got fed up, and I tried to explain to him that I was just talking to Jiwoo about the homework, which is _definitely_ related to class, and he told me ‘ _Stop giving me lip’,_ ” She mocked his nasal tone. “And it sort of stuck. I mean, after Jiwoo refused to drop it. And, now I’m Lip,” Jungeun shrugged.

“Ahh,” Jinsol rubbed thoughtfully at her chin. “Lip,” She sounded, Jungeun fought the pleasant chill she felt spread down her spine. A whine fell from her as she pushed at Jinsol’s shoulder.

“Don’t call me that, it’s embarrassing!”

“It’s cute though,” Jinsol smiled. Oh, that disarming smile. She was too dangerous. Jungeun only rolled her eyes.

They walked further into the park, Jungeun still working on her drink. She regretted taking a huge gulp because she almost choked when Jinsol broke the silence with her question.

“Who’s Jiwoo?”

“Jiwoo?”

“You mentioned her, just before.”

Jungeun felt her stomach twist. The shake didn’t seem so appetizing anymore. A warm hand fell upon her arm and felt a swoop in her stomach when she met Jinsol’s kind eyes.

“You don’t have to talk about it.”

“It’s fine,” Jungeun shook her head, pulling away from the touch. “She’s my ex, that’s all.” Jinsol hummed at this.

“Exes can be tough.”

“You got a few then?” Jungeun teased, bumping her shoulder into Jinsol’s. The older woman played along, a smirk on her lips.

“Just one in particular,” She halted, bringing Jungeun to a stop beside her. Jungeun’s not quite sure why— maybe it was her gaze. Something about Jinsol made her attention narrow exactly to her, and only her. All she had to do was look. “It’ll be okay Jungeun. It’s hard, to begin with, but, these things just take time to heal.”

Jungeun felt her hands shake. Maybe it was the ice cream.

“I-I’m not sure what you mean by that,” Her voice came out more wobbly than she’d wanted. Jinsol only gave a warm chuckle before pulling her into a hug.

“That’s okay,” She mumbled— Junguen had settled her head against the taller woman’s chest, feeling the vibrations of her voice, letting it soothe her.

Then the tears came. Quiet, but it was enough to shake her body, making Jinsol pull her more firmly against herself.

(And Jungeun thinks to herself, _oh_ , that’s the weight that’s been settled upon her chest this entire time).

It’s a Monday and Junguen decides it’s enough.

She’s not entirely sure what possesses her to do it. Maybe it was the weight that she’d been carrying around, making her chest cave in (not as often anymore, not nearly as often) or the fact that she’d made new friends, or maybe it was the talk she’d had with Jinsol (which mostly consisted of sobbing in Jinsol’s arms). But Jungeun knew it, she just _knew it_.

It’s a Monday and Jungeun’s not wearing her cheer uniform. Instead, it’s folded neatly, as carefully as she would iron it every night, and keep the collar starched. It was only right, Jungeun thought.

She marched into the cheer team’s coach’s office, gripping the uniform between her hands, and the first thing that she manages to say is—

“I quit.”

Coach Kim’s eyebrows furrowed and Jungeun thought about just leaving the clothing on the floor and booking it out of there.

“What’s wrong Jungeun?” Jungeun shook her head.

“Nothing’s— it’s not,” Jungeun huffed. And in a flurry, she finds the words she’d been letting escape her consciousness for the past few months, “I just… I don’t want it anymore.”

With Coach Kim’s understanding nod and a hand off of the uniform, Jungeun left the office feeling lighter since she’s felt since the school year started.

Choerry met her by her locker, as per usual, talking her ear off while they walked through the halls. She suddenly stopped, her eyes bulging as she took Jungeun’s appearance in.

“You’re not wearing your uniform?” Choerry remarked, pulling a snort from Jungeun. Jungeun shook her head.

“I’m done.”

“Oh,” The girl hummed. “Is that… good?”

Jungeun nodded.

“Oh. Well… good!” Choerry grinned. “I’m happy for you!” Jungeun couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes. Choerry frowned at her and pulled her into a hug, just as warm as Jinsol’s was the other night— _must be a genetic thing_ Junguen thought. The way that they were both able to read her with those inquisitive eyes, yeah, a genetic thing, definitely.

Jungeun pulled away, sniffling.

“Can we do something?”

  
  


When Jungeun asked to do _something_ , she wasn’t really thinking of this.

Jungeun, Choerry, and her friends, Yeojin and company— affectionately dubbed the loser crew by Jinsol. Jungeun didn’t really expect their presence, but it wasn't a surprise because, apparently, they took advantage of any situation to wreak havoc— Jungeun assumed they could sniff it out, like sharks. _They_ were the ones to suggest this, after all.

The bathroom in Choerry’s house was stuffed, full to the brim with teenagers, all surrounding Jungeun, who sat atop a rickety barstool taken from the garage.

Choerry had called in an emergency meeting and the three troublemakers came, Chaewon toting three bottles of hair bleach.

Probably seeing Jungeun’s eyes widen to the size of saucers, Chaewon spoke up, “I did _this_ myself,” she ran her hand through her blonde locks, dramatically tossing it over her shoulder. Jungeun raised a brow. It actually didn’t look bad.

“Wait, you’re not blonde?” Yeojin asked, making the loser crew fall into a discussion about who, in fact, thought Chaewon was a natural blonde (both Choerry and Yeojin put their hands up— Hyejoo’s seen her roots before, which Chaewon adamantly denied).

So, now Jungeun sat on that rickety stool, a towel strewn across her front as a faux salon cape, as the four girls fretted behind her. Jungeun’s not sure her hair’s been tugged at _this much_ in her entire life. And she kind of felt like she was suffocating from all of the fumes in such a small space; Yeojin made the mistake of taking a rather large whiff of the bleach, coughing and crying out that all of her nose hairs were gone.

Hyejoo was complaining about Choerry getting bleach on her shirt when another presence made themselves known.

“Uh,” Jungeun looked up to see Jinsol in the doorway, her eyes glancing over the crowd. Jungeun almost cooed at the way her eyebrows arched in that confused manner. “What’s going on…?” Right. They hadn’t told Jinsol. Choerry jumped into action, running to her sister and turning her around, pushing her out of the room.  
“It’s a surprise!”

“A wha—?” Jinsol popped her head back into the doorway, gaze holding Jungeun’s. “Are you okay? Blink twice if you need help—” Jungeun snorted, watching Choerry pull her away again.

“Go away Jinsol!”

“I have to go to the bathroom!”

Six hours later (and plenty of Jungeun’s thinly veiled threats to the loser crew— _“I swear to God, if my hair starts falling out—”_ ) and Jungeun’s blonde.

Jungeun’s… _blonde_. Really blonde.

More so than Chaewon, who stepped back from her hair after they’d washed the bleach out, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Wow, that’s lighter than I thought it was gonna be,” Jungeun furrowed her brows.

“You didn’t know how light you were making it?” Chaewon’s secretive smile was enough to make her stop asking questions. At least she still had her hair.

Choerry practically jumped for joy, squeezing her tight, rambling on about how pretty she was. And that kind of solidified it that, yeah, Jungeun thinks she made the right choice. She _does_ feel a little better now. Even if her scalp is a bit on the… raw side.

  
  


She stepped into the garage when the kids finally dispersed from the bathroom, arguing about what kind of toppings to get on the pizza they were gonna order.

Jungeun tries not to dwell too much on the fact that Jinsol is the first person she wants to show her hair to.

Jinsol notices her right away.

She’s seated on a rolling shop stool, swaying from side to side and stopping abruptly when she turns just enough to see Jungeun in the doorway.

“Whoa,” Jinsol regarded her with wide eyes, her mouth open in an ‘o’. Jungeun’s lips fall into a wide grin that she can’t quite help.

“Yeah, I mean, my hair didn’t fall out, so I’d call that a success,” Jungeun chuckled.

“ _Definitely_ a success,” The shorter girl grew warm.

“You like it?”

“I love it,” Jinsol stood from her chair and stepped closer to her. Jungeun could feel her heart thump against her eardrums. And when Jinsol raised a hand to caress her, now blonde, hair, Jungeun felt like she was gonna pass out.

She didn’t. (She would _never_ be able to live that one down).

“Do _you_?” Jungeun snapped out her trance.

“Do I?”

“Do you like it?” Jinsol spoke in a near whisper, eyes holding Junguen’s own. Was she this close before?

“I do.”

“Good,” Then she fell into a chuckle, her eyes still on the blonde strands of hair. Jungeun hummed a silent question, her own laughter bubbling to the surface. “I literally can’t believe that you let them bleach your hair,” She chortled, Jungeun mirroring the sound.

  
  


They’re settled on the couch next to each other, some tv show playing in the background that Jungeun doesn’t care for. Choerry and company piled into her room after devouring the two pizzas that they’d ordered (courtesy of Jinsol and Choerry’s father, who’d arrived shortly after Jungeun’s big “hair reveal”) and sounds of laughter and screeching(?) could be heard every now and then, reverberating through the house.

“Do you… like working on cars?” Jungeun finds herself asking. She remembers Jinsol mentioning how she got into it— recalling memories of her dad, the owner of the business, sitting her beside him as he explained the parts and tools that went into the process.

Jinsol doesn’t look as confused by her random question as Jungeun thinks she should be.

“I do,” She nodded. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t,” Jinsol shot her a soft smile. “I get to help my dad, plus, it’ll put me through school. When I decide to go, anyway.”

“What do you want to go to school for?” Jinsol hummed, her eyes going to the ceiling in thought.

“Engineering probably.”

“Right, math nerd,” Jinsol elbowed her good-naturedly. It was a phrase Choerry used to describe her sister a few times; she claimed that Jinsol was the only reason she made it through her math classes (and, in turn, now Jungeun).

Jungeun settled against the couch, a heavy breath pushing out from her lungs.

“I quit the team,” Jungeun’s voice is hushed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jinsol shuffle her body to face Jungeun, head-on. Jungeun mirrored her.

“Is that… what you want?” Jungeun nodded. Jinsol’s eyes were always expressive. The way she held Junguen’s own— pools of brown that showed concern, but also, understanding. Jungeun’s not sure how _that_ works, because somehow she knew that Jinsol knew. And because Jinsol offered her hand out to her, palm up and Jungeun took it without hesitation, squeezing it affectionately.

“Are you okay?” She asked. Another nod. “Okay,” Her hand was tugged just a bit, persuading her to lean closer to Jinsol, until her head was settled on her chest, and Jinsol’s arms cocooned her.

Yeah. She was okay.

  
  
  
  


Watching cheer practice from the bleachers is an odd feeling.

If Jungeun was good, Jiwoo was great. She was always more dedicated to the sport than Jungeun, that was for sure. It struck Jungeun that she was having more fun watching than she’d had being on the team these last few months (maybe even longer than that).

When the field cleared, Jiwoo didn't hesitate to walk up to her, a closed-lipped smile on her face. Jungeun hated the look of it, seeing Jiwoo so reserved.

“You look good,” Jiwoo’s hand gestured to Jungeun’s hair. Jungeun remembered a time that Jiwoo didn’t seem to even _understand_ the definition of personal space. Now there was more than a foot of air between them.

“Thanks,” Jungeun let out a breath, a cloud of fog in the air. “How’s captaincy treating you?”

“It’s been good,” Jiwoo nodded. Her white tennis shoes dug into the soft soil beneath them. Jungeun winced at that. “Kahei’s a good co-captain, but…” Her fingers wrung together. “I miss you Jungie.”

Junguen had to look away.

“I’m sorry,” Jiwoo pursed her lips and Jungeun spoke before a retort could come flying out, “I didn’t mean to leave you. It was immature— I was immature. I know you were hurting too,” Jiwoo sighed and attempted to settle next to Jungeun on the bleachers, but Jungeun held a hand out.

“Hang on,” Jungeun mumbled, pulling her jacket off and sprawling it across the surface. She was sure the cold metal would bite at her thighs. And when Jiwoo did sit down, Jungeun found herself in a tight embrace that nearly took her breath away— tears welling up at the fact that she’s gone with _this_ for months now.

“Please, please promise not to stop talking to me Jungie. I know that you probably needed space, but I lo—” She pulled away, tears trailing down her cheeks. She kept Jungeun’s face cradled between her hands. “You’re my best friend,” Her voice strained.

Jungeun pulled her into a hug again, and the sigh that left her made her feel lighter than before.

“I love you too, Jiwoo.”

  
  
  


Jungeun stood just outside of the open garage of the autoshop, a bouquet of flowers clenched in her hand.

She didn’t even _know_ if Jinsol liked flowers.

(She probably didn’t. Oh god).

Jiwoo and Jungeun stayed on those bleachers, talking, apologizing some more, crying some more, until Jiwoo was shivering from the cold.

By the end, she couldn’t even remember why she’d pushed herself away for so long. She supposes that when the person that you’re absolutely convinced is the love of your life, didn’t feel that same way anymore, it was enough to break anyone.

She was just glad to have Jiwoo back.

It was at Jiwoo’s house— she’d invited Junguen over (Jungeun was struck with the fact that she hadn’t been in Jiwoo’s house in _months_ now, the longest it’s been since they’d first met in elementary school) — that Jiwoo managed to pry information about Jinsol out of her.

“Are you gonna ask her out?” Jiwoo bounced on her bed like a kid, a wide grin on her face. Jungeun grew red. It was odd how easy they were able to fall back into _this_.

“I— I don’t know! I wouldn’t even know how to go about it anyway,” Jiwoo asked Jungeun out. Jungeun can remember it clearly, eighth grade, the day after their first kiss— Jiwoo, in typical Jiwoo fashion, planted a kiss on Jungeun’s lips after she walked her home, leaving her dizzy. Jiwoo popped the question casually (though, her red cheeks gave her away) when Jungeun came over for their weekly sleepover.

Jungeun was… stunned, to say the least.

“You should get her flowers!”

“What? Why flowers? I don’t think she even _likes_ flowers!”

“Jungeun,” Jiwoo’s voice was serious. She settled a hand on Jungeun’s arm (in the back of her mind, she realized it didn’t hurt anymore to be touched by her), “Trust me.”

“Oh shut up,” Jungeun rolled her eyes, pushing Jiwoo away from her, making her fall back to the bed. Jiwoo giggled.

“I think anyone would appreciate getting flowers, Jungie!”

And she _did_ make a point. Which was probably how Jiwoo ended up dragging her to a flower shop the next day to make a bouquet. Jungeun’s ears were red with the amount of information Jiwoo was spewing about the meanings of each one—

_“This one means true love! You_ have _to get it!”_

_“Dear God, Jiwoo, can you_ please—”

  
  


Her heart skipped, seeing a familiar head of black hair, buried under the hood of a car.

Jungeun could just… chuck the bouquet into the trash and walk away.

(The bouquet _was_ a lot of money though. Who knew flowers were so expensive?)

“What’s up?” Jungeun jumped, the paper from the bouquet crinkling in her tight grip. In the midst of her… very critical thinking, it seemed that Jinsol noticed her. Well, she _was_ standing no more than five feet away from her. Jungeun’s not sure how she thought she could sneak away.

“Uh, just… standing.”

“I see that,” Jinsol’s grin was infuriating. _Annoying_ , Choerry’s words echo in the back of her mind. “Flowers?” Jungeun felt the urge to hide them away, instead, she stepped closer.

“Yeah. I… a friend recommended them.”

“Recommended flowers?” Jinsol looked at the bouquet, bottom lip poking like how’d she do every time she was trying to figure something out.

“To give to you,” Jinsol raised a brow. This was harder than Jungeun thought it’d be. Nothing that left her mouth was making any sense, and seeing Jinsol being just as confused made Jungeun’s face grow even hotter. She shoved the bouquet in Jinsol’s direction, making her take it into her hands.

“Thank you? What’s the occasion?”

“I like you,” Jungeun spit out. Her eyes widened. Well, that was… a way to go about it, she supposed. She really shouldn’t have listened to Jiwoo.

“Oh,” Jinsol glanced at the flowers. “You do?” When she looked up again and Jungeun could turn to goo from the warmth in her eyes. Jungeun nodded wordlessly, the simple gesture making Jinsol’s lips curl in a shy smile. “You like me?” Another nod.

Jungeun gulped, seeing Jinsol step closer to her, closer and closer. With her unoccupied hand, she cupped Jungeun’s face and tilted her head up.

“I like you too,” Jungeun’s sigh was one of content and relief.

Jungeun brought her hands up to settle on Jinsol’s stomach, the warmth of her skin emanating through the white fabric. She ran them around her waist, winding her arms until she grasped her hands on the other side of her, pulling the taller woman close.

Jungeun wanted to drown in Jinsol’s eyes.

“So…” Jinsol started, biting at her lip. “Are you gonna take me out, or…?” Jungeun rolled her eyes.

“Jinsol, will you go out with me?” Jinsol’s grin rivaled Choerry’s.

“Yes, Jungeun, I’d love to go out with you,” Jinsol’s words came out low and smooth, her head shifting just a bit closer to Jungeun. Jungeun gulped.

The taller woman laid a soft kiss on the crown of her head.

It was enough to make Jungeun feel a little light-headed afterward, her stomach knotting and ears probably bright red. She let her head settle against Jinsol’s shoulder, the heat from her body was welcomed against the fall chill.

“Cold?” Jinsol muttered against her hair.

“Kind of,” Jungeun laughed airily. She held the older woman tighter. “Let’s just… stay for a second,” Jinsol hummed, the vibrations being felt by Jungeun.

Jungeun’s never felt warmer.

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo. Yes, I did write Jinsoul in her KOMS outfit, because I’m absolutely in love with it (she looked a little TOO GOOD that day, okay?).
> 
> I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this, I’m not… quite satisfied by it, but I really wanted to publish something. I like it well enough I guess.  
> A lot of the elements in this were things I was contemplating making their own one-shots, which is another reason why I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this, but I guess I could repeat themes in future stories lmao.
> 
> Anyway, let me know if you guys enjoyed it! If you had a favorite part, whatever you wanna share! I kind of miss interacting with readers :(
> 
> Sidenote: I was gonna make this, like, a 50s AU but then I realized that nothing was era-specific and it wouldn’t even change anything if I made it modern, so I just switched a few things around lol. You can still see some elements though, like the muscle car and Jungeun’s cheer uniform.
> 
> Sidenote 2: Idk what it is, I don’t have a bias in LOONA (it’s an impossibility for me, I love them all too much) but I’m more in love with Lip than usual LMAO. Maybe it’s the blonde hair, so iconic, I love her.


End file.
